Kahless

by Michael Jan Friedman

Book Overview

For 1500 years, the Klingons have revered him as their first emperor, the legendary warrior who united their people and taught them the meaning of honor, but the truth of his incredible life has been... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671547798
• ISBN13: 9780671547790
• Release Date: July 1996
• Publisher: Pocket Books
• Length: 307 Pages
• Weight: 1.14 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.9" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

The story of Kahless and the reconciliation of the legend and the facts

This is one of the best Star Trek novels, independent of the preface denoting the television series. It gives us a glimpse into the history of the Klingon Empire, depicting the actual events that led to the ascension of Kahless to the throne and his establishment of the fundamental laws of Klingon behavior. The story has two tracks, a recapitulation of the actions of the original Kahless as he battles to overthrow the tyrant Molor and a modern one involving the clone of Kahless in the present. The link between them is an ancient scroll, an accurate depiction of how Kahless broke with Molor, became an outlaw and then fought his way back to overthrow Molor. As is eventually determined, the scroll is genuine and since it is not in conformity with the legend, it sends shockwaves throughout the Klingon Empire, leading to a conspiracy against council leader Gowron. The clone of Kahless requests help from Worf, so he and Captain Picard travel to the Klingon Empire to try to unravel the conspiracy. With the help of Worf's brother Kurn, they are able to expose the conspirators and keep the Empire safe for now. The original Kahless is a combination of Moses, Jesus and Alexander the Great. He conquers the world and then sets down a set of moral laws that mold the Klingons into a unified group. To the extent that it is possible for Klingons, his legacy is also part religious, which makes it also an act of faith. That faith is deeply disturbed when the scroll reveals that while Kahless was an extraordinary Klingon, he was still just a Klingon. Furthermore, the contents of the legends divert from the facts, a point that not all are comfortable with. This undercurrent of how myth arises from reality and the difficulty of reconciling the two keeps this story interesting as it reflects human experience.

An untold story of a God

Klingon mythos are treated on the series as a footnote rather than an established fact.This Novel seperates the man from the myth.If you follow Star Trek closely like I do then you can easily recognized the legend of Kahless and instead of unknown references and stories about him,you'll get the truth from his own words. It's amazing how well this Novel is written and how they really paid attention to detail.All the stories told always have a motitum of truth behind them as well as the actual truth inserted.You'll really see who Kahless was as a man and how he would in the coming centuries is remembered as a savior of the Klingon Empire and celebrated as a God. Even the side story with Riker,Troi and Alexander Rozenko is really well done and doesn't suffers from the pitfalls of the side stories from previos ST Novels. But the main plot will have reading until exhaustion.It's one of those rare Novels you simply can't put down.And if you're a huge Klingon fan like I am you have to read this Novel.One of the best Star Trek Novels in my collection and one that you can't aford to pass up. Read and enjoy.You won't be disapointed I promise.

A cautionary tale,

a parable if you will, on the dangers of placing to much importance on the historical literality of our mytho-historical cultural icons.Most people would understand and agree, for instance, that it neither lessens nor invalidates the importance of either George Washington or the quality of honesty if he did not, in fact, chop down a cherry tree and then unequivocally plead guilty to having done so as a child, nor does it lessen his importance in the winning of the American Revolution if he did not, in fact, throw a silver dollar across the Delaware (Potomac?) River.Yet unfortunately, just as this books finds many Klingons struggling with the validity of the qualities that they've been brought up to believe in -- honor and courage and valor -- when it is discovered that their mytho-historical proto-Klingon, Kahless, did not in literal fact climb an erupting volcano in order to singe a lock of his hair, nor spin the first bat'telh, a Klingon edged weapon deadlier than a sword, out of said lava-singed strands of hair, and worse, was not a paragon of honor himself, but just a (reasonably decent) fellow, struggling to get from day to day until fate caught him up in a revolution, so many people of our own culture feel that it would somehow invalidate the value of "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" if the historical Jesus Christ did not, in fact, literally, physically, rise from the dead after three days. That it would render "Love thy neighbor as thyself" less meaningful if he did not, literally, feed a multitude with a few loaves and fishes. That if he was not literally born of a virgin, or did not literally raise Lazarus from the dead, it would make "The meek shall inherit the earth" or "blessed are the peacemakers" any less valid.Those portions of the Bible (and there are many of them) that contain beauty, truth, and wisdom, do so regardless of the literal inerrancy of the "history" recorded. And those parts that do not (such as "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live") are vile and invalid, regardless. The message is neither improved nor damaged by the accuracy of the story it is set in. And this story is a marvellous vehicle for making that point. Well-told, well-written, it's truly a joy to have read.

ST: TNG Kahless

Star Trek: The Next Generation Kahless written by Michael Jan Friedman is a Klingon adventure par excellence. Yes, we've been hearing about Kahless the Unforgettable the legendary warrior who united the Klingon people and taught them about honor. Well, now they've cloned Kahless for this adventure and Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Lieutenant Worf are thrown into the thick of things as certain civil unrest is fomenting and is threatening to tear the Klingon empire apart.If you like to read about Klingons, their society and culture, this is a book for you. This book takes you through the Klingon past, some one thousand five hundred years ago and tells a tale far different than the Klingon legends of today. This book takes you on an adventure steepped in resplendent Klingon lore. As this adventure revolves around Kahless the man and myth, whether directly or vicariously how was Kahless to be believed.You see, there are scrolls that dispute the validity of Kahless. Ah, but now Picard, Worf and the cloned Kahless try to settle the unrest and come up with a plan to quell the countratdiction, as the truth behind the legend of the Klingon Empire's greatest warrior.This is an interesting story, revealing much information and there are interesting historical figures here as well, one in particular is Morath. I can give away the ending of the book, but pay attention to Morath. All in all, this book is a must if you follow the Klingons in Star Trek.A well told story that has some very interesting turns and twists.

Now play Klin Zha

If you're a fan of them Klingon critters, this book will only make you more so. It fills a need for a body of Klingon literature, and is well-done. It uses the technique of two parallel books interleaving chapters, and leading to a common intersection.Klingons play a chesslike game they call Klin Zha, first introduced in the John Ford novel Final Reflection.Are you ready to think like a Klingon? So now is the time to learn how to play, and become a Klingon yourself. Use your search engine to find Klin Zha and Klingon fan sites and go from there.